Leaders of the Iranian Revolutionary Guards, affiliated factions, and Lebanese Hezbollah held a meeting in the eastern Syrian city of Deir-ez-Zor to discuss strategies for attracting local tribes and repositioning their forces in Deir-ez-Zor governorate. This follows recent clashes and rising tensions in the eastern areas of the governorate, compounded by reports of Syrian security services inciting local tribes against the Iranian presence.
Syria, particularly Deir-ez-Zor governorate, has experienced increasing polarization in recent months, driven by the escalation of Israeli airstrikes targeting Iranian Revolutionary Guard positions and their affiliated factions. Local populations, increasingly hostile to Iranian forces, have sought to rid the region of their presence, citing the damage caused by these forces and dissatisfaction with the actions of Iranian-backed leaders and local collaborators.
A source within the pro-Iranian factions confirmed to +963 that “an expanded meeting took place, bringing together the leaders of the Iranian Revolutionary Guards, their allied factions from Deir-ez-Zor, Homs, and Palmyra, as well as representatives from Lebanese Hezbollah and Iraqi Hezbollah. The meeting, held in Deir-ez-Zor’s Staff Neighborhood, was primarily focused on the process of attracting local tribes to their cause.”
Assad’s Crossroads: Between Arab Alliances and Iranian Entanglements
The meeting also addressed several key military objectives, including “re-establishing control over positions evacuated in recent weeks due to Israeli bombardment, reinforcing military installations near Deir-ez-Zor military airport and Hamdan airport in al-Bukamal, and establishing a new military base in the Dweir desert, east of Deir-ez-Zor. The leadership also discussed plans to recruit new personnel and bring in military reinforcements from Iraq, including advanced weapons, in response to mounting security challenges, particularly from Russian-backed forces,” the source added.
This meeting took place just two days after gunmen loyal to Sheikh Ayman Dahham al-Dandal, a prominent figure from the al-Akidat tribe in al-Bukamal, captured five members of the pro-Iranian factions. The militants had infiltrated Dandal’s home and attempted to set it and his car on fire. Dandal had recently distanced himself from Iran, shifting his allegiance toward the Syrian government forces due to the mounting Israeli strikes against pro-Iranian groups in the region.
A source close to Dandal confirmed to +963 that after the group refused to hand over the captured pro-Iranian fighters, violent clashes erupted between the Dandal group and the Iranian-backed factions. Tribal gunmen joined the fight against the latter, resulting in the pro-Iranian forces retreating from three of their strongholds: the station, the electricity point, and the academy’s headquarters in the vicinity of Dandal’s home in al-Bukamal.
The source further stated, “Sheikh Ayman Dandal, who had recently visited Damascus for meetings with Syrian security officials, has made it clear that he will only end the escalating conflict if the Iranian Revolutionary Guards and their allies leave the city of al-Bukamal, in accordance with demands from the Syrian government’s security apparatus.”
This article was translated and edited by The Syrian Observer. The Syrian Observer has not verified the content of this story. Responsibility for the information and views set out in this article lies entirely with the author.
